Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
by brontide
Summary: Songfic. Speak Now by Taylor Swift. "Lily, I'm engaged!" I tried to hide my misery best I could as I told him, "That's amazing James, Congratulations!" "Thanks, Lily!" He pulled me in for a hug. I clung to him, as my world fell apart.


Disclaimer: Shout out to JK Rowling and Taylor Swift!

Some people say that you don't know what you had until you lose it. After this incident, I didn't dare laugh at the statement.

"Lily, I'm engaged!"

James Potter had told me he wanted to hang out, because he had some amazing news to tell me. This is not what I had in mind, I wasn't been expecting this. At all.

He had starting dating Carlotta Stevens since sixth year. Carlotta had always hated me, and she was mean and terrible to me when James wasn't around. I knew she was scared James was going to go back to being in love with me, and not her. The way he was in love with me from first year through fifth year.

James had loved me since he met me all the way to the end of fifth year. That was when he thought I'd never love him back. And that was when I started to love him. I still love him immensely, but now, he's getting married, to someone else.

I tried to hide my misery and faked a bright smile best I could as I told him, "That's amazing James, Congratulations!" We are best friends, but I don't think he'll ever love me romantically again. I mean he's in love with Carlotta… right? What was I thinking, of course he was, he asked her to marry him!

"Thanks, Lily!" He pulled me in for a hug.

I clung to him, as I felt like my world was falling apart. I closed my eyes as I remembered what he had told me just three years ago, at the beginning of sixth year.

I was sitting in the common room, studying for the upcoming Herbology test when he came over to me.

"Hey, Lily?" I looked up at him and smiled. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"No problem." I stood up and smiled happily to myself, for I had absolutely no idea what he was about to say to me. Actually, I was foolish enough to think he was going to ask me out.

We walked out of the castle into the beautiful autumn atmosphere. The leaves had changed colour and the ground had been covered by a carpet of the orange leaves. It was truly beautiful, but that wasn't the reason I remembered it so well.

We stopped walking when we reached the familiar beech tree on the edge of the lake, where Severus had ended our friendship just a few short months ago.

"Lily, I want you to know that I will probably never stop loving you properly, but I think it's time for me to move on. I'm really sorry for all the times I've bothered you for the past couple years."

Those two sentences had me shocked. I had no idea what on earth to say. I was just starting to develop a crush on him, which later grew into love, but now he was telling me he was ready to move on!

I nodded dumbly.

That was the most regretted decision I've made in my entire life. If I had just said something I would be the one he would be engaged to now. If only I had spoke up, and told him I loved him.

"So, Lily, what do you say we do to celebrate?" James chirped happily.

It is James' wedding day. I had just sneaked in through the backdoor. Carlotta had came to me last month and told me I wasn't invited. I know I'm not the kind of girl who would be rudely barging in on a wedding like this, but James wasn't the kind of boy who would marry the wrong girl. I needed to tell him not to say yes, to run away now, not to wait, and not to say a single vow.

I looked around the room until I finally located James. He was laughing with his friends, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. I fought the urge to run over to him and tell him not to say 'I do' , or say any vows, and run away with me.

Forcing myself to look away from James, I saw Carlotta's snotty little family all dressed beautifully in pastel. Turning my attention away, I heard Carlotta's voice raged with anger. "Stop! You're ruining everything!" She was in a back room of the church, yelling at a bridesmaid. Why is James marring her? She's a terrible person!

Fond gestures were exchanged between all the guests. I was the only person who had a frown on their face. At least I thought so. I later found out none of James' friends liked Carlotta much.

I hid in the curtains until the organ started to play a song that sounded much like a death march. I ran to a seat in the far back, and hoped no one noticed me. There was Carlotta floating down the aisle like a pageant queen in a beautiful white dress. I hoped James wished it was me, instead of Carlotta.

"Speak now or forever hold your peace." The preacher's voice came loud and clear. Everything was silent and I knew that it was my last chance. I just knew I wouldn't be able to hold my peace forever, I had to say something.

About a billion different thoughts raced through my head as I stood up slowly and nervously with my hands shaking. My heart was threatening to jump out of my chest. I felt too many pairs of horrified eyes on me to count, but I was just looking at James. His eyes were full of question.

"You can't marry her." I said it barely above a whisper, but I knew everyone could hear me. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Then, Carlotta Stevens' voice screeched. "I knew you would do this! I told you not to come, bitch!"

James' face was filled with shock. "Carlotta, she's one of my best friends why would you tell her not to come?"

"I told her not to come because this would happen! She loves you, James! How blind are you?" She screamed in his face.

"Is this true Lily?" he asked, with his eyes searching.

I looked into his eyes, and spoke after what felt like an hour, but in truth it was only a matter of seconds."Yes James, it is. I love you."

James stood in complete shock, his body unmoving.

"James, come on, you love me right?" Carlotta said possessively.

"Don't fall for her sick games, James Potter."

He turned to Carlotta, "Carlotta, how could you do this? You know, I did love you, but you didn't trust me, and you've said the most terrible things to one of my best friends. I'm sorry."

James looked over at me and his hazel eyes met my green ones. "Lily, I told you I'd never stop loving you properly. I'm so grateful you were around when they said speak now." The smile I had on my face would've been approved by the Cheshire Cat.

A/N - This is the first songfic I've written, hope you enjoyed it, and it wasn't too short. I know the ending was kind of sudden and James acted a little weird, but I couldn't think of anything better. I had rewritten the ending so many times, I just decided to go with this one.

I didn't include the lyrics because I for one get annoyed and I don't read the lyrics. If you want to read a version with the lyrics, review, and I'll post it as a second chapter. Please review even if you don't need another version with the lyrics, it means a lot to me when you do, and it simply makes my day!

Has anyone heard Superman by Taylor Swift? (On the deluxe version.) It's like Ginny Weasley talking about Harry Potter, there are so many similarities it's a bit scary, but if it was actually about Harry and Ginny, Taylor Swift is totally awesome! :)

"Mother's eyes his father's ambition"

"You've got a busy day today to save the world I'll be around"

"Tall dark and beautiful he's complicated he's irrational"

"You really got places to be and I'll be okay"

"I loved you from the very first day" (true!)

"I'm lovestruck and looking out the window" (Deathly Hallows kiss scene)

Thanks for reading, I love you all! :)


End file.
